Barcelona director Mateu Alemany has admitted the club are “conditioned” by financial fair play rules amid rumours they will sell Frenkie de Jong this summer.
De Jong has been strongly linked with Manchester United, with incoming manager Erik ten Hag reportedly wanting a reunion with the former Ajax midfielder at Old Trafford. The 25-year-old cost Barca £65million from Ajax in 2019 and has four years remaining on his Barca contract, but has emerged as a priority target for United.
Ten Hag worked with De Jong between 2017 and 2019 at Ajax and is understood to have contacted his agent , Ali Dursun, to discuss the possibility of a transfer this summer. United are set to lose Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic in the off-season and desperately need new midfielders.
Barcelona have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and their over-spending in the preceding years. The Spanish giants will need to tread carefully in the summer transfer window as they try to bolster Xavi Hernandez’s squad and Alemany has suggested they may need to sell current players to bring in reinforcements.
“We haven’t made any decisions regarding the squad; Frenkie is a quality player, very important. We are conditioned by [financial] fair play, conditioned by the situation inherited by the club,” he said. “We must be patient. We are clear that we are going to reinforce the team. It is necessary and we want to compete for the titles next year.”
De Jong has been a regular for Xavi’s side this season, contributing four goals and five assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. He has been a consistent performer for Xavi, who said recently that he would like to keep the Netherlands international for next season.
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"I haven't talked with him about his future," Xavi said. "He is playing at a very good level and has to continue here – he can be one of the best midfielders in the world for years to come. "If it were up to me, I would continue here for many more years. He is very important and can mark an era here. He has to score, assist and he has to be the protagonist."
Barcelona are 12 points adrift of champions Real Madrid ahead of their final La Liga game of the season against Villarreal this weekend. Recruitment is needed this summer in order to close the gap to their rivals and one of the players they have been linked with is Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski has been in brilliant form for Bayern, but has reportedly told the German giants he will not extend his contract beyond June 2023. His stance opens up the possibility of the Polish striker leaving this summer, with Barcelona keeping an eye on his situation.
“It is not done at all. We have absolute respect for all the players who have a valid contract with other clubs,” Alemany said. “The market will start when the season ends and I hope to achieve our objectives. For now we prefer not to talk about a market that is going to be very long for sure.”
